War - Episode I
by xPhoenixDreams
Summary: Legend had it that there was a Gem to rule them all. This Gem, however, was a fusion, composed of Gems which escaped from Homeworld. Will the Gems escape from Pink Diamond's grasp?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: The Lab

Years. Too many. Was that what the humans called it? Legends. Reality. Both merged the day the Gems had recovered from the fight… And when they saw the technology, they saw humans had improved during the last fifty-thousand years. Computers. Lasers. Yet they were still behind on Homeworld technology.

Tiger's Eye was the first to recover. She looked at her palms, then felt her gem on her neck. Not cracked. That made her feel better. She noticed, though, that she was in some teal liquid sealed in a container. The humans had found that there were energy levels radiating from the gemstone, which Tiger's Eye retreated to in order to regenerate.

Tourmaline was next. Her claustrophobia immediately kicked in. She summoned her weapon, a scythe, and broke out. Luckily, no humans were around. She guessed this was what they called "quarantine". She'd also felt her gem on the dorsal side of her left hand. She looked around just in time to see the next Gem regenerate.

Altaite didn't know what to do. He just started having fun with the gooey liquid. Like the previous Gems, he felt for his gem on his collarbone. He let out a sigh of relief. When he saw his best friend, though, he immediately became excited.

Onyx. The tough yet sentimental guy. He'd seen Altaite giving him "the look", which made him feel much less worried. Tourmaline was about to break him out next, and he knew he'd give everyone a bear (was that what they were called?) hug. But not everyone was out.

Turquoise. The leader always had a soft spot for her. In fact, they'd dance so much together, sometimes they'd accidentally fuse. Like the artificial Kindergarten series, Amethyst, she had a gem over her heart, as she liked to take risks.

Onyx ran up to everyone, saying, "Hey guys! It's been so long I could just fuse with you all so we'd be together forever!" He was, at times, slightly clingy. "Hey, Onyx. You do realize the leader isn't here, right? Also, our fusion is only used in times of need, like war." He recognized that voice. It belonged to Tiger's Eye, and he'd had a soft spot for her too, like the leader with Turquoise.

They'd seen a bigger tube up on a balcony in the same room. Turquoise jumped those 15 meters with ease and summoned her weapon, a wrist blade, and cut through the glass. Their leader just regenerated.

Malachite blushed when he first saw Turquoise. He'd noticed that she did too. They must've hugged for about five minutes, because pretty soon the other Gems were groaning with boredom. "I know he likes her, but I didn't know they liked each OTHER that much", whispered Tourmaline. They'd stopped a minute later. Malachite hatched a plan much quicker than usual.

"Alright guys, here's the plan:

I'll take the doors. From there…

Turquoise, we'll defend the group…

Altaite, you break off and find a way out…

Tourmaline, you find a way to distract the humans…

Tiger's Eye, go with Onyx and find an air vent if Altaite fails…

Onyx, go with Tiger's Eye."

They didn't know that the scientists had also taken another Homeworld Gem with them, a spy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Assaulted

The Gems went into a room and found another container. This time, the gem inside was blue and clear. It had an old European cut with about nine facets. Once the Gems had broken through the door, the liquid started to turn slightly plum-colored, and once it was on the verge of black, the tube exploded. The Gems started to freak out. They knew who that blue gem belonged to.

Blue Diamond used to be a good guy until his power-hungry girlfriend came around. His gem was on his top-right shoulder and he had four arms, but he wasn't a fusion. He WAS from a Kindergarten, just not artificial. He had a kind heart.

Tourmaline held out her hand to Altaite. He gladly accepted. It started out as a formal dance, but halfway through, it literally turned into the… what's it called? Gangnam Dance? Gangnam... Style? Anyways, their bodies started to glow and their bodies merged.

The result was Calcite, a handsome and tall pale Gem. His hair was tucked back into a white bandana, and he had headphones around his neck. He seemed like the "gamer-florist" type. He wore ripped black jeans and about three bracelets on the same arm, along with a single black stud earring on his left ear.

He summoned his base-Gem's weapons, cannons that attach to Altaite's wrist and Tourmaline's scythe. He smashed them together and a white light flowed out of the space between his hands. The result weapon was a scimitar which could release light energy when desired. It was also a weapon that the user could cover in crystals to make it more powerful.

Blue Diamond summoned his weapon as well, a flamethrower that, instead of flames, throws a piece of carbon at enough heat and pressure so that, when it hits ground, it turns into a cluster of diamonds.

And then, with one battle cry, the fight began.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: SPAR OF Shards

Blue Diamond was the kind of guy who didn't need to speak to send a message. He'd just cast a glare, and you knew right then he'd want you dead. He aimed for the most exposed gem on Calcite, the hand one that belonged to Tourmaline. He hit, and it cracked just a tiny bit, but Calcite didn't care. It didn't draw blood, if Gems even HAD blood. He decided he'd sprint behind him, then, if he tried to attack, he'd parry from behind. You could say Calcite could stop time and come up with a strategy. And he did just that: And he'd hit. Once. Twice. Three times in a row, he'd hit. The third one was on the shoulder with the gem, which made Blue Diamond yell in anger. How had the scientists not noticed the wreckage and inhuman screeches?

Calcite decided it'd be four more hits until he'd win the battle.

Blue Diamond immediately turned when he felt Calcite would strike again. But Calcite was in front of him before he turned, which made the blue Gem feel confused and dazed. Calcite brought out two scimitars, mashed them together, and made a double-sided blade, which spun quickly to imitate a shield. Then Blue Diamond turned and he shot. Right between on Calcite's collarbone. The gem cracked to where one more hit would make him return to his base Gems. And then the carbon grew into a diamond cluster, which would eventually crack the gem. Calcite took two more hits with both blades. And, right as Blue Diamond let out a cry, so did Calcite, and the white Gem unfused. Blue Diamond retreated to his Gem to regenerate, right as an unknown pink force bubbled his gem. Shards of calcite and diamond were spread across the floor, mimicking a spike field.

The Gems decided then.

They took a jump, Tiger's Eye and Onyx carrying the near-fractured Gems.

And they headed away from the lab.

Into the city.

The peninsula.

Beach City.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four: What's a Steven..?

Beach City looked nice. They had this donut shop with a giant donut on top… That is, until Onyx tried to eat it. A few blocks down the beach, there was a cliff that the Gems easily cleared in one bound. Beyond it was an ocean, and Malachite had the power to turn the salt in seawater into a different material so it heals injured Gems, which is just what he did. The Gems laid down their hurt friends in the shallow part of the ocean, and their bodies started to glow, the cracked gems sizzling with purple and gray electricity, the electricity filling in its path on the cracks.

Soon, Tourmaline and Altaite were healthy again. "Glad you guys are back", said Turquoise. Malachite came next to her and hugged his "siblings".

"Guys, how did we not notice this?", Onyx inquired. They looked at what he was staring at. A giant woman carved into the cliffside.

It looked like a fusion of some sort, as it had about six arms, two with gems, a gem on the chest, and another on the forehead. There was a cottage where the belly would be.

And out came two Gems who were both around four feet tall. One blue, one red. The blue one was wearing a regal gown, with bangs covering her eyes, or maybe just one eye. The Gems couldn't tell.

The red one looked like she was athletic, as she had a crimson sports headband. Her hair looked like someone ironed an afro.

"I knew this would happen," the blue one said. "I'm Sapphire. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Ruby", the red one said. "Sapphire here has future vision; she can see the future and possibilities."

The Gems introduced themselves. It turned out Ruby and Sapphire made a fusion called Garnet, and the only reason why they weren't fused was because they needed to take care of some errands.

"Cookie Cat! Come back!" A child's voice exclaimed. The Gems saw an ice cream sandwich, still in the packet, flopping down the stairs, a human running after it. As he was running, his shirt went up a bit. He had a rose quartz where his belly button should be. But he was a human… he didn't look like a Gem.

"Oh, that's Steven. Did you ever hear about Rose Quartz?" Ruby asked.

"Yes, wasn't she the rebel Gem that Yellow Diamond fought in the Homeworld War?" Altaite asked Ruby, who was tightening her band.

"Yep, that's her. Steven here is her child. Half human, half Gem."

"Is that… possible?"

"I guess so, I mean, you can tell he's half human because, as we speak, he's chasing ice cream down the stairs. Gems don't have to eat, which I assume you know by now."

Sapphire started braiding Turquoise's hair, looking bored.

"So, have these Stevens taken over the human race?" Tiger's Eye asked with a confused look on her face.

"All humans have names. That's just his." Sapphire popped in.

A short, purple Gem with an amethyst on her chest came out of the cottage.

"Steven, you need some help?" She pulled out a dark purple whip and lashed at the ice cream. It didn't smash it though; it grabbed it. She came over to Steven and gave it to him.

"Thanks, Amethyst."

"You're welcome, Steven bro."

Just then, yet another Gem came out. Tall, skinny, pale Gem with a pearl on her forehead came out.

"Hey, Pearl!" Steven didn't seem to notice the other eight Gems near the shore.

"Steven, it's too late to be out. Take your Cookie Cat and go to bed. We're going to keep training you with your healing saliva tomorrow."

"Chill, Pearl," Amethyst said to her.

"Ruby, Sapphire, who are these Gems? Pearl asked, completely ignoring Amethyst.

And they introduced them to each other.

And they joined the family.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five: Carnelian

After a nice walk on the beach in the morning, the Gems took Steven out to breakfast. Back at the temple, they trained Steven until his knees buckled and he faceplanted onto the sand. Malachite did the healing water technique and tried to teach him how to do it himself. Then Steven brought up a huge question.

"Guys, how do you fuse? Pearl says I'm not organic to be able to, but I fused with my friend Connie, and she's human!"

As he said that, a whole flock of birds flew over the temple, looking like a giant black cloud. The Crystal Gems looked closely at in, then realized it wasn't just a flock of birds. They were Shadowlings, a type of flying creature from a part of Homeworld called the Wasteland, where all forgotten Gem technology is left to rust.

These creatures had a long bill, a wing span of ten feet, the leader having a wingspan of fifteen, knife-like talons, pinpointing eyes, and a shrill screech strong enough to bust a whole city population's eardrums.

"Well, looks like I'm getting what I wanted. Ruby, Sapphire, can you fuse into Garnet? Pearl Amethyst, fuse with Garnet into Alexandrite. Malachite, can you teach me how to fuse?"

Malachite couldn't turn him down. So he taught him all he knew, and when he was done, Alexandrite was right behind them, pounding away at the Shadowlings just to see them materialize again.

"That's not good enough… Guys, unfuse. Let me fuse with you, and maybe it'll help."

The Gems unfused and did the dance again, and this time, Steven was actually able to fuse.

Out came Carnelian, a Gem the size of a hundred-story skyscraper, with bloodred gems instead of their usual colors. His hair was blazing red and it moved like fire would in the breeze. Steven controlled the body.

Carnelian brought out the whip, spear, shield, and gauntlets and did what Calcite did. What came out was a longsword where the bottom of the grip extended to become a shield, no matter how wide the attack is. The blade could extend too, and be set on fire.

"Wait, look at their tails," the Pearl side said. "They're orange and shining in the light."

"What color are they supposed to be?" Tiger's Eye asked her. "Red and yellow", Pearl replied. "They're being possessed by a Gem. And when they are, the tail turns the color of the Gem. We only know one orange Gem."

Jasper.

But how?

Wasn't she trapped at the bottom of the ocean with Lapis?

This enraged Carnelian.

And when Carnelian gets angry, he brings the heat.

And the sun intensified.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six: Annihilation

Carnelian's rage caused a drought. The Shadowlings shriveled to dust from thirst and heat. The leader shriveled like a prune but didn't vaporize. Carnelian used his weapon to let loose a beam of fire hotter than Homeworld lava, and that's pretty hot.

Instead, the leader glowed faintly. Carnelian swung his sword in a 360 degree angle in case the black bird dared try to change course. It didn't. It let out its horrid cry and retreated to a purple-black gem with an orange center. Turquoise bubbled it in a teal sphere with light brown veins and made it disappear.

Then the Gems heard something.

The Wailing Stone.

And its message was more horrible than the Shadowlings' Alpha.

"I'm coming for you now."

The voice was deep and raspy.

Carnelian unfused and Garnet went into a rage. She recognized that voice.

And the warp pad activated.

It wasn't who they thought it'd be. They thought SHE might have come to warn them like she did with the Wailing Stone before the abduction on the Crystal Gems.

Not Lapis.

Not Peridot either.

Jasper.

Blue Diamond.

Garnet offered to fuse into Alexandrite, or Carnelian again, but Onyx had other plans.

Tiger's Eye knew what he was thinking and let herself fall into his hands as their bodies started to glow.

And merge.

And their gems changed color.

And out came one of the most beautiful Gems you'd probably ever see.

Rose Zircon.

Rose Zircon was recognized by Blue Diamond as a vivid nightmare. Her red locks were accompanied by her eyes with pink irises and whitish-pink gown. Her skin was a very bright pink. And her voice was soothing enough to calm a stampede to sleep.

She summoned Onyx's weapon, a black lance, and Tiger's Eye's weapon, a glove with very sharp claws. When she combined them, an impressive gauntlet where the middle finger was replaced with a small harpoon gun. It still had the claws.

And this pink harpoon was a deadly tranquilizer dart.

Jasper summoned her weapon, the helmet, and started a spin dash. Blue Diamond brought out his carbon-flamethrower.

"That pink gem would look good on the council desk", said Jasper. "And we need more decoration in there. Oh, who am I kidding? Let's get them!"

Jasper finished the spin dash and hit Onyx's gem, which was on the elbow. Right as that happened, though, Rose Zircon shot the harpoon at the helmet's visor. And it hit right between the eyes.

Blue Diamond shot at Rose Zircon's neck, making a small dent on Tiger's Eye's gem. She shot back at him on the leg, giving him a limp.

"Retreat!" He'd managed to order before Rose Zircon shot again on his shoulder.

When they left, Rose Zircon said,"Cowards." The two Gems unfused, both unscathed.

"Well, that happened."

"Yep."

"Anyone wanna go out for some pizza?"

"We just had breakfast, you idiot."

"Okay. Thank you for that comment."

Tiger's Eye and Onyx kept bickering on the way back to the temple.

The fight wasn't over.

The Gems knew their ultimate nemesis would send more Shadowlings.

And to their horror…

The most horrid monster the Diamond Empire had up their sleeves.

The Devourer.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven: Forced Fusion

Turquoise and Amethyst went out on the beach to play with Steven. Malachite was training with Garnet. The other Gems went out for dinner. Suddenly Steven went to go get Pearl, who hated "mush flowing through her body and coming out the other end", which was why she didn't go to dinner.

"Look at the sand castle we made!" Steven exclaimed. "We made it look like the Temple!"

"Yes, Steven, that is very impressive indeed," Pearl replied to him. She noticed Amethyst examining her new black and gray outfit. "Amethyst, we still have to go get that Slinker."

"Tomorrow." was the reply from the purple Gem.

Turquoise went inside to get some rest in her room now that the new Crystal Gems had them when suddenly the Warp Pad activated. Altaite, Tourmaline, Tiger's Eye and Onyx were back from dinner, looking stuffed.

"Man, that buffet was good", Onyx said, half-expecting a question from Turquoise. Something like "Oh, what did you have?" but nothing came from her. Instead she just sighed and went into her room. The others shrugged and went out to play with Steven.

And the Warp Pad activated…again. But it wasn't a friendly Gem. It was the leader of the previous intruders. She caught Turquoise by the hand and lifted her, like Jasper to Lapis. The fear in Turquoise's eyes was too much to bear.

Pink Diamond.

Queen of the Diamond Empire.

Her pink eyes could very easily stare into your soul. Her skin was lighter than Garnet's. Her beautiful silvery white hair was betraying. She was not as gentle as she seemed.

She ruled Homeworld with the other Diamonds. But she was the strongest.

What happened next was something that Turquoise hadn't expected.

Pink Diamond forced her to fuse with her.

Turquoise yelled to Malachite before their bodies glowed.

Malachite's elf-ish ears pricked up when he heard Turquoise yell his name. She was in trouble and there was a bright pink light emanating from the Temple.

The dance ended as soon as he went inside.

Staring him right in the face was a horrifying Gem.

Tanzanite.

Her hair was silver and a very dark purple. She had four eyes, four arms and was the size of two elephants. She was powerful enough to kill a sleeping child with a tap of her pinkie finger.

And she went on the Warp Pad.

"Say bye to your precious friend,"she hissed before Malachite could hit Pink Diamond's gem, on her left shoulder. If he did hit, he'd regret it anyways. He'd never hurt Turquoise.

The Warp Pad activated.

And Malachite had a feeling he'd not see Turquoise for a while.

A long while.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight: The Diamond Spire

A month or so had passed since Malachite had seen Turquoise last. For the whole month he devised a plan. And the end of it was not pretty. Not for the Diamonds, at least. Extravagant for the rebels.

And he took up the plan a week after he confirmed the course. He got some Marble creatures, which Peridot hated, and got them to repair the Universal Warp Pad. He brought the other Crystal Gems with him, including Steven.

And they began the warp to Homeworld.

When they got there, Malachite saw how much the Gems advanced since he was gone. And when he looked behind him and up, that was it. He was done for.

The Diamond Spire.

It was at least a mile tall, lined with glass and iron. At the top was a sphere of silver, orichalcum, and gold. Above that sphere of riches was a giant purple crystalline cloud.

The Gems marched right in, knocking out the receptionist and doorman. The elevator inside went a mile per second. Malachite counted. The Spire was five miles tall.

At the top was the throne room. There were four thrones. One was black, one blue, one pink, one white, respectively. On the blue throne was Blue Diamond, seemingly bored with a bandage between his eyes and a leg cast. He was the only one there.

"She left to do some chores," he told them. Malachite didn't take his word for it. He just punctured his neck by throwing his sword at him. "Where is she?!"

"I swear, I don't know."

"WHERE. IS. SHE?!"

"I DON'T KNOW AND I DON'T CARE!"

That was his biggest mistake and regret. Malachite repeatedly punched him on the face and gem until he retreated.

"Why is he the one that takes all the beating?" Onyx asked.

"He's the second most hated," Tiger's Eye told him.

Even after Blue Diamond retreated, Malachite punched his gem. Hard. It almost cracked, but Malachite didn't want to be accused for his death. He just put the gem on the pink throne and put a sign over it saying 'Do Not Disturb'. He also put a tracking chip in one of the cracks.

Tanzanite rushed in. The elevator and everything else were just about big enough.

Malachite sprinted over and stabbed the shoulder gem repeatedly. Garnet went and helped him. The other Gems stood by for encouragement. That was his fight. And Garnet knew how it felt to be separated from your love. It happened to her…er, them… once.

Then Malachite poked out a pink eye.

Tanzanite brought out her weapon, a trident, and pushed away the Gems with the handle. Malachite got in just one more hit before he got sweeped.

They unfused. But Pink Diamond still had her eye.

And, luckily, Turquoise did too.

But the fight was far from over.

Too far.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine: A Display of Affection

Turquoise had liked Malachite since they first talked. And if he risked his life for her, he did too. And it was their turn to shine now. To set an example to the other Diamonds.

Turquoise let Malachite sweep her off the ground. They had started the dance. There was no turning back.

They danced a ball dance. And at the end, one of Turquoise's most precious moments happened.

Their first kiss.

They stood there embracing each other until they glowed. And what came out was like Rose Zircon to Blue Diamond.

Coesite.

He had amazing white hair with transparent tips. He was two feet taller than the tallest basketball player out there. His skin was a pale and blinding white, in some places transparent with no veins or anything showing, if he even had them. He wore one black earring, like Calcite, and wore ripped white jeans instead. His eyes were white as white can be.

Coesite's weapon acted like Turquoise's wrist blade except for the fact that the blades were longer and sharper, could shoot three of the blades and the other two could shoot energy.

He shot three of the largest blades right between Pink Diamond's eyes so that the ones on the left and right hit her eyes. They did, but it wasn't fatal. He shot a blast at her gem. A slight crack. Not much.

And so he summoned one more bladed gauntlet. Now he could shoot six blades and four blasts.

Pink Diamond evaded each of the attacks Coesite threw at her. And she did something no other Gem could.

She summoned a Warp Pad under all of the Gems.

As they warped, Pink Diamond just waved at them with a grim and evil smile on her face.

Gems have to unfuse while warping.

Malachite and Turquoise could've been vaporized if they didn't remember to in time.

They certainly knew then that they'd best play the last battle right.

If they wanted to be back at the Temple instead of the moon.

And they knew then.

They'd have to win the next one.

Or else.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten: All They Care About

The Gems arrived at the Temple dazed. Artificial Warp Pads make you nauseous. And dizzy. And can swap your pinkie's spot on your hand with your thumb's, according to Onyx. He'd suffered a lot, but not like this.

He went around cuckoo, even trying to schedule an appointment with a doctor. Eventually, though, the fingers all poofed back to their place, quite literally. He called off the appointment.

Malachite and Turquoise went about, strolling on the beach. Occasionally they'd find some shells. Once Malachite found a hibiscus and put it in Turquoise's hair. They'd kiss each other on the cheek every now and then. But when it came to sunsets, they kissed for a whole two minutes, sitting where the water hit and staring at the setting sun. Turquoise bubbled the hibiscus, said,"I'll treasure this forever," and then they both went back to the temple.

When Onyx saw the two lovebirds walk into the Temple, he knew he'd felt the same for someone. But who? He forgot, and it'd been fifty thousand years. You can't remember your fifth crush when you're thirty-two AND human, so how can he remember it, being a Gem and seventy-three thousand years old? He'd been twenty-three thousand years old when he went into a coma-like state!

And he remembered when he saw her walk through the door. She was right under his nose the whole time. Heck, they even fused once!

And it was her.

Tiger's Eye.

And she'd realized at the same time he did.

But this wasn't the right time for confessions.

It was time to prepare.

And train.

Especially little Steven, who has much to learn and must be there to fuse again.

But his mother should be there.

With help from the others, she'll help.

She has to.

He has her gem.

She knows what he's capable of.

And that's step one.

To find a way to get Steven's mom to exist with him.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven: Him and His Lion

His mother was there.

She was the lion, which Steven thought was a male. She wasn't.

Why else did the pink lion have Rose Quartz's most prized belongings? Especially her blade and the tape that Steven watched with Sadie, a friend who works at the Big Donut.

Malachite went out to get a hibiscus to serve as a catalyst. They were going to perform an old spell that was used to instantly return a Gem to their physical state. It required an item that was related to their power, which in this case was the beautiful pink and red flower, a tear from a loved one, a glass sphere stuffed with memories of the Gem, and a weapon that the Gem used once, which was her sword.

Garnet threw Amethyst into some sand to make glass, then took the glass clump to Pearl. She made some into a sphere and transferred memories of Rose Quartz into it, since she knew her best. Garnet got Steven to cry by telling him she was leaving the Gems, but of course this was a trick. They filled him in on the details and he went to get the sword from his lion's mane.

When Malachite came back, every single Crystal Gem put their items in a glass jar that Pearl also made. They drew a circle around the jar and had Altaite light four incense sticks near it. The Gems duplicated their own gems and materialized the holograms so they had actual ones. When they did, they put the new gems in front of them and waited, holding hands in a circle.

"We don't usually do stuff like this," Amethyst told them. She seemed unsure.

And then the jar started glowing. Inisde it was Rose Quartz's gem.

All that was left to do was to wait until she regenerated.

Lion was still alive, though. He just had to be there to bring Rose back, so really, he was her.

A couple hours later, she was there.

In the flesh.

Alive.

With her son.

At the same time.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve: Training

Ever since Steven met his mother, he hasn't left her side. She taught him how to control elements around him, such as plants, water, and stone, how to fuse properly, and how she used her weapons, along with growing his own plant species.

Malachite and Turquoise were off too. Not on the beach, though. On a mission. And they both found new uses for their weapons as well.

Tiger's Eye went out for dinner with the others again. She noticed Altaite acting funny around Tourmaline. Onyx saw Tourmaline doing the same.

After a tutorial, Steven took a venus flytrap seed and a lavender seed. He bubbled them and brought that bubble over his gem and it started to glow. Inside, the seeds were merging into one seed, much like Gem fusion. When he planted it and he used a technique to make it full-grown, it was like a venus flytrap, but inside the mouth was a stalk of lavender with flowers. The flowers attracted insects and the flytrap ate them. A perfect luring plan.

At dinner, Tiger's Eye sat with Onyx. Her cheeks blushed a light brown. Onyx's blushed gray.

Steven mastered most techniques Rose threw at him: plant control, temperature control, cross-breeding, healing, fusing, weapon summoning, and making a better bubble, which was somewhat opaque, changed colors, and, if you made it transparent, you'd be invisible inside it. It would be handy for sneaking up on Amethyst rummaging in her room, and, if she steals his favorite toy, he'd steal it back.

He loved everything he could do; he could even combine his shield and a bubble. When he'd do this, the shield would lie flat inside a small bubble, acting like a razor.

And he could do more with Rose's sword.

A lot more.

And when he found out, Rose told him he was done training.

He was officially a Crystal Gem.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen: Another Link in the Chain

When the four Gems came back from dinner, they went for a walk on the beach, collecting shells, befriending crabs, and even seeing a Watermelon Steven coming in from the ocean to rest.

The Gems brought up a spire, one spire for two Gems, to camp in for the night, since they were far from the Temple. Tiger's Eye voted on going with Onyx, just because the spire he raised was the size of a small skyscraper and very wide, while Tourmaline's was put to shame.

In the morning, Onyx went into the water and dove about twenty feet under. He was clearly searching for a breakfast, maybe shrimp and a crab for the other three Gems.

However, he didn't see any. What he DID see, though, was horrifying.

It looked like a giant sea snake bred with a chameleon. It had a gem on its head and, once Onyx locked eyes with it, it changed color. The gem wasn't visible. He had to follow the bubble and sand trails it left behind.

He lured the snake onto shore and called out to Altaite.

Altaite's ears pricked up and his eyes were lit with curiousity. He heard Onyx call his name, and he saw him punching… air. Air. Why air?

He caught a glimpse of a scale shimmering in the morning sunlight and saw what it really was.

A Chameleotyle.

Chameleotyles were a rare species of monster. Their scales were hard enough to make a hammer bounce on their surface. They had a gem on their head that was always an ugly shade of dark green, and their eyes were orangey-yellow and slitted, like Tiger's Eye's. Onyx preferred hers to this beast's. And boy, could she put on a glare.

Altaite grabbed Onyx's arm and flung him into the air with remarkable strength. Onyx landed next to Altaite, and they started running around fast enough to create a sandstorm. It got into one of the Chameleotyle's eyes.

But that wasn't the end of it.

Their bodies started to glow, and that was the only thing you could see inside the sandstorm. The glow faded three seconds after, and out came a fierce beast.

Wolframite.

His skin was dark as night and gave off a slight radiance. His eyes were all black, including the edges of his whites. His mouth bore pointed knife-like teeth, and his nails turned into claws. They were strong enough to make a laceration in an elephant's hide with a single swipe. His hair was wild and handsome.

And his grin was deadly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen: Made of Love

Wolframite's claws WERE his weapons. A swipe would shoot sand from the tips of his fingers, and his bite was more dangerous and venomous than a komodo dragon's. And his eyes were so evil they could petrify you for ten to twenty seconds.

Tiger's Eye heard his roaring and the sand shuffling. She knew that Onyx and Altaite were fighting a Chameleotyle, which she could kill easily, seeing as they share similar traits. But they could kill her just as quick.

She summoned her glove and started lashing out at the ugly beast. Its scales excreted a pungent gas which almost knocked her out. The purpose of the gas was to make an opponent faint so the Chameleotyle could retreat.

She accidentally scratched Wolframite, who was gliding around the Chameleotyle in circles, hitting any weak spot he could find. The Gems unfused and fell to the ground unscathed.

Onyx hadn't had enough of fusion, though.

He'd grabbed Tiger's Eye by the waist and started to dance.

Halfway through, Tiger's Eye almost fainted from what Onyx did.

Onyx had kissed her.

A real kiss.

Finally, she thought, shocked.

Rose Zircon once more emerged from the magnificent pink glow.

And then they heard Garnet calling out to them.

Rose Zircon hit twice before Garnet's voice came through to her.

She paid attention to her message while dealing hits to the Chameleotyle at the same time.

She made out the words,"They're attacking! Two other Diamonds, it seems like Black and White! Pearl and Amethyst are down!"

The Chameleotyle poofed at that instant. Its gem had a spiraling effect inside, possibly the knock-out gas.

The two now-lovebirds unfused and Tiger's Eye bubbled the gem in a small orangey-yellow and light brown bubble.

They told Tourmaline, who was trying to figure out how to make fire.

And then, they decided.

They had to get Altaite and Tourmaline together.

Right now.

And they did.

They did, and apparently the fight with the Chameleotyle lasted six or so hours, because as the four Gems kissed their special one, the sun was setting.

They knew it.

They did.

They knew it was time to face the other two Diamonds.

Formidable opponents.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen: The Grand Revival

Malachite remembered his biological brother.

Azurite.

He regretted the fact that he'd battle his enemies with him not there.

But there was a way.

The same way they revived Rose Quartz.

Malachite gathered a glass bottle of water along with leftovers from Rose Quartz's ritual, except with his own memories instead of Pearl's.

He did everything the way they did for Rose.

A flash of light blinded Malachite.

And Azurite was there, flesh and bone. With his brother. Malachite hugged him so hard that he almost suffocated his brother. He didn't want him to die… AGAIN.

Azurite said,"Let's go get them."

And he summoned his weapon, a sword similar to Malachite's but with a curved and hooked blade, damaging the opponent when they struggle.

He cried a war cry and stabbed White Diamond through the back. Her Gem was on the front of the shoulder. Azurite had missed it by a hair.

Malachite got his sword out as well. He started doing slashing motions and about fourteen swords appeared in the air beside him, floating there. Those swords attacked enemies that got too close, but didn't attack allies.

One sword hit Black Diamond in the neck with the handle. He still fell.

After many unsuccessful attempts, Azurite finally hit the gem. White Diamond summoned her weapon, a bludgeon, and started flailing away at the air. Her vision was getting blurry.

That was Azurite's gas that came from the tip of his sword. It was based off a Chameleotyle's.

White Diamond fell on her knees and leaned forward, then fell on her face. She retreated to her gem and Pink Diamond's force bubbled it, probably back to Homeworld.

Malachite was dodging Black Diamond's daggers skillfully. Clearly he's had experience with that. However, Black Diamond pinned him against the wall outside the Temple.

He aimed for Malachite's gem. Malachite thought he was over, but right before the dagger touched his forehead, Black Diamond disappeared into thin air. Where he was, Azurite's sword fell to the ground.

He'd thrown it as a final attempt.

They both saved each other's lives.

Literally.

And that was when they heard the other Gems sprinting toward them.

They noticed Pearl and Amethyst's gems on the ground.

Just as they set their eyes on the gems, they regenerated.

Amethyst still had her new outfit.

Pearl… not so much.

Her hair had a bluish tint to it, her leggings were stretched down further, and her top was white. The star on it was blue-green.

The Gems turned around and saw a black portal opening just above the shore of the beach.

And out they came.

Some of Steven's favorite characters.

And then what he saw confirmed it.

A knight in black, glistening armor with a dragon insignia on the breastplate. He was riding a horse.

It was Shadowknight49.

And his Gems.

Lloydanite was there with him.

Steven almost fainted from excitement.

He'd seen some of his favorite Gems.

And they were in his world.

In his Universe.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen: Volcanic Glass

Steven woke up on the sand, saltwater almost to his feet. He remembered that he'd seen something crazy.

He'd seen an author and his Gems.

Lloydanite was right beside him, cloak and all, bony bat wings stretched out. When Steven saw him, he disappeared into a fine black dust.

Shadowknight came out with his horse, who was muttering to him. Steven hadn't seen a talking horse before. Then again, he had a pink lion.

Shadowknight's insignia started to glow faintly, and he knew the portal to his original world was opening again. All he did was throw a sword at the opening rift and it shattered like glass.

Then another portal opened. What came out made Shadowknight shudder.

Obsidian, an enormous buff Gem with a black skull for a head, green fire for a neck and hair, came out.

The Neo Crystal Gems came outside and shuddered at the beast they locked eyes with.

Azurite had caught a glimpse of the most beautiful Gem he'd seen when he went into the Temple for the first time, which he went to get.

Her name was Silver, and her hair was long enough to reach her knees. It shone in the moonlight. These features charmed Azurite.

When Silver came out from the Temple, being dragged by him, and saw Obsidian, she summoned her weapons, seeking buzzsaws, and threw them into Obsidian's eye sockets. She tapped her gem once and they exploded, leaving only small cracks in the skull.

Steven was the only one capable of defeating him, but Azurite and Silver still tried.

Azurite pushed Silver back to protect her, as Obsidian was most likely to lug a punch at them.

This backfired when Azurite tumbled onto Silver, her landing on him, their bodies and gems glowing.

Apparently they had performed a dance.

Blue Aragonite was a formidable opponent, especially when you've never seen her before. Her body shone just as well as Silver's hair, just as long, just as beautiful. Her skin was a shade of cyan and very lustrous. The gems were clouded with blue. The Gems' control over her was neutral, like Jasper with Lapis.

"What'd you do?" the Silver side asked.

"I tried to protect you from a punch I predicted, but I just tripped over a pebble…"

"I guess we can go with this," Silver replied.

She summoned her weapons, the buzzsaws and hooked sword, and combined them into a thorned chakram, a flat disk with spikes protruding from the sides. Like the buzzsaws, it also found a path to its target, no matter what.

She flung her chakram, this time to his chest. This time, tapping both gems, especially with two arms each, created an explosion half the size of the Temple.

Steven sprinted into the Temple as faced as he could and asked his mother if he could borrow her sword. Of course she said yes.

As he brought out the sword from its scabbard, the pink blade started to glow dimly. It was ready to release a blast of pure power.

Steven went outside and swung the sword, and when he did, a vivid pink blast of light in the shape of Rose, much like her light cannons, flew into the sky and hit Obsidian's chest. When it hit, it exploded into moss, the kind that bloomed into pink flowers with rose quartz centers.

But, instead, the moss took on the shape of the sword, hardened, and repeatedly swung hard at Obsidian's chest.

Technically, it was Steven who had taken down Obsidian, as he swung the sword.

Right as the moss blade began hitting, Blue Aragonite's chakram split it into two, then exploded, making eight moss swords as strong as the original. The blast also damaged Obsidian's gem.

Obsidian summoned his weapon, a flail that was more than five times as powerful as Sugilite's.

Three of the swords targeted the flail, two hit his gem, and the other three tried to put out Obsidian's flames, as they were a sign of health.

When the three destroyed the flail, they joined the other two to help with the gem. The other three put out as much fire as they could, unsigned.

Suddenly, Steven took a huge leap and plunged the sword into Obsidian's gem as hard as possible.

Obsidian's physical shape disappeared into black smoke, his gem left behind to bubble. It might have been huge, but it could be used for certain things.

The Gems were gasping for air, and Azurite was seen overreacting, screaming at rocks and crabs as if they were his lifelong nemesis.

But THEY weren't.

Obsidian wasn't either.

It was the Diamond Empire.

And one of them was lurking in the shadows of the Temple.

Pink Diamond.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen: Legend Has It

Pink Diamond was just there to watch the fight. Nothing more.

She'd felt like performing an ambush, but that'd be too…revealing.

Instead, she brought back the data and worked with it. The Steven had newfound abilities, making a strong opponent for a child. The Gems were capable of impossibly formidable fusions, as she knew from the previous war.

The previous war…

The Gems were adults for at least two thousand years, or you could say one year for them.

They had been a fusion that the tribes had worshipped as a god.

But their identity was concealed from all, especially their name.

Pink Diamond just called the fusion "Mis-hap."

Mishap had been fused since the day all the Neo Gems met each other. That was also when they meet the two original Diamonds, Blue and Pink.

Pink Diamond hated their guts already.

She and Blue Diamond fused into a giant monster to counter their fusion.

They were known for their blue-fade-to-purple arms and body and four vivid lavender eyes. Their body shape was similar to Lapis when she fused with Jasper into the Malachite fusion, who was nowhere close to the non-fusion Malachite. Their legs changed color, but were occasionally platinum.

They were known by the forbidden and unspoken name.

They were called Orichalcum.

That also explained the sphere above the Diamond Spire loaded with orichalcum.

Mishap had just about taken down Orichalcum, but was defeated in the process as well. The base Gems regenerated, but it was a process of fifty thousand years before they came back. And here they were, roaming free, possibly fusing again soon.

Yes, Orichalcum's strength made them regenerate for fifty thousand years. But Mishap's valor did the same.

Ancient legends told of two deities clashing over control of the planet, and that was how volcanoes, ravines, and such were formed. These deities WERE the two Gem fusions.

There was a third deity, however. And it was NOT a fusion.

It was Yellow Diamond.

But she's long gone now.

Because of Mishap and Orichalcum's fighting, an earthquake formed below Yellow Diamond and closed when she fell in, devouring her.

They never found her gem.

Probably crushed in the process, like Titanium's poor Diamond.

Oh.

Her.

Him.

They were definitely coming back, even if it was the last thing the Protectors did.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen: Chalcedony and Labradorite

Titanium and Diamond took their first breaths.

Titanium had to be revived first, since he was really the only one that knew Diamond.

Their reunion had been quite awkward for the other Gems. Titanium had to introduce her to his other friends, of course. And Diamond decided to explore the temple, now that, after three days of work, she had her own room.

Inside there were clusters of diamond, each a different color. There were four that were a color but were dull, and one that seemed to have an aura. The four were black, white, pink, and blue. Perhaps they were to hold the Diamond Empire's gems in.

One of the diamond clusters was flat and acted like a Warp Pad. They could tell because, when Onyx stepped on it, a blue light similar to the Warp Pad's (but darker) shot upwards. Onyx disappeared with the light.

…

Onyx found himself in the Diamond Spire unconscious. When he woke up, Blue Diamond was staring at him, with a smug smile on his face. The pad didn't activate; Blue Diamond did it himself. But it still WAS a Warp Pad.

Beside him was Lapis Lazuli, pleading to Blue Diamond to let Onyx go.

Onyx was, as he could tell by the marks on his wrist, tied by some invisible iron. He focused on "staring Blue Diamond to death", but when he looked over, he realized the two Gems looked similar.

He connected the dots and thought of something the others wouldn't think about.

Blue Diamond's hair was similar to Lapis's, but more masculine. His outfit slightly resembled hers. They even had the same eyes.

Blue Diamond was Lapis's brother.

The Warp Pad activated when Onyx was thinking about this.

The old Crystal Gems, including Rose, appeared from its light, Garnet and Amethyst enraged.

Steven must've known what Onyx was thinking, because when he saw Lapis next to Blue Diamond, he was in shock.

He also found that Blue Diamond was the one who freed Lapis from Jasper. It made perfect sense.

The Gems took Steven by the hand and did a dance similar to the one that formed Carnelian, but Rose was here now, which meant a lot to Blue Diamond's fate.

When the light from their bodies faded,the others saw a large Gem that looked EXACTLY like the Temple . Its skin was the maya variety of blue, and its hair was a bright lavender color. The double-face was white with a pinkish hue. Staring into space, almost literally.

This was Chalcedony, a Rose-controlled fusion, and one of the most powerful, aside from Orichalcum and Mishap.

When it came to summoning the weapons, the arms that belonged to the base Gems pulled out that Gem's weapon, but when it came to the Rose Quartz weapon, one arm took the sword, while the other took the shield. Chalcedony raised the weapons skyward, and when they flashed, a giant blue-spiked mace fell to the floor, crashing through at least a hundred stories.

Blue Diamond and Lapis had fused too, and in their place was Labradorite, controlled by Blue Diamond. It looked more like Lapis than Blue Diamond, and its hair was blue lined with a silvery black. It had four legs and two arms, like the Malachite fusion, but Labradorite was smaller, yet bulkier.

He, too, had summoned his weapon, a lance that was able to launch projectiles, those being miniature Lapis wings.

The two Fusions clashed, steel against steel. The mace had hit Blue Diamond's gem, making a large gash in it. The lance shot two projectiles, one on Rose's gem and another on Amethyst's, cracking slightly. One more hit from the mace, though, destroyed Blue Diamond's gem, and as it fell in five small pieces, Lapis glided down with her wings, unharmed.

If this was a hard battle, Orichalcum would most definitely be stronger.

But the Gems first had to retreat to the Temple.

Lapis included.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen: Return to Sender…For Now

The Gems sipped on some green tea as they rested in the sand, while some were playing on the seashore. Onyx's heart rate had gone up, but not by much. He knew it would soon return to normal.

The Shadow Gems, as the Crystals liked to call them, had finished packing their things, leaving some stuff behind in case they ever came back unprepared.

They said bye to the other Gems, and they got something for Steven: a weird device like Pearl's old one, the one that would clone objects. However, Steven's had a Cookie Cat sticker on it, and it came with one Cookie Cat ice cream sandwich in case he ever wanted to clone them, seeing as they were discontinued.

"Unlimited Cookie Cats!" he exclaimed, scaring away some gulls in sight.

Azurite and Silver had lumps in their throats, recalling fusion memories. After what seemed like centuries, they finally hugged and waved goodbye without saying a word.

Shadow snapped his fingers, creating another portal, but this one was a different shape and a different color. It looked like what you'd think a galaxy looks like, but it was a periwinkle-like color and the "stars" inside were a light blue, like the sky overhead.

"We'll have to find out who brought us here and why, but for now, this is goodbye," Shadow told the others. "Next time we'll bring… Da Bus."

Steven squealed in excitement, and he was starting to wish the Shadow Gems came back a day later.

But, as the days went past, Steven became bored of waiting.

And Azurite, who was depressed, didn't speak for days.

Malachite and Turquoise, however, kept taking walks on the beach until they were bored of it.

Steven probably cloned five Cookie Cats, because at the end of the day he was stuffed. He didn't eat the next day, as he was trying to get rid of the extra weight.

As he was jogging on the beach, he saw Connie, who he didn't see until he ran into her.

"Hi, Steven," she said, her nose somewhat red. Her eyes were baggy, and she coughed once in a while. She was probably sick.

"I couldn't come over until now. My cold kept me from… leaving the house…" she sneezed before she said "leaving".

"I hope you get better soon,then," Steven told her. "We have a lot of catching up to do, and I've fused twice since the last time I saw you. I'll have to describe that when you're healthy again…"

…

Lapis's room had colonies of coral in it, and there were giant bubbles holding small aquatic landscapes. Those same bubbles would then pop, drop the landscapes, and build Lapis's room piece by piece, but the landscape bubbles wouldn't go away, even when the room was finished.

An hour after Lapis's room was complete, Azurite was making chamomile tea, his favorite human beverage. It seemed like he didn't get much sleep since Silver.

He knew they'd come back soon.

Whoever brought them in the first place…

Was bound to bring them back.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty: The Spine

It was a while after Shadow's Gems left this place for their own universe. Azurite got over the "loss" of sorts, Steven was happy with his Cookie Cats, and the Neo Gems were obviously bored.

The Warp Pad activated, and a very beat-up Pink Diamond appeared, but then collapsed. Malachite was behind her and he smiled at Steven, who was sitting on the couch, waiting for someone to come out of their room.

"Hey, what do you think about seeing a brand-new fusion of ours?"

Steven smiled back at him. "Sure!"

The other Gems came out of the Bubble Chamber and grinned when they saw Pink Diamond's gem on the floor.

Malachite returned the grin but then it faded. "That's not the end. Not yet."

Silence followed and his crew looked up at him, fear in their eyes.

The leader simply nodded at the other five Gems, who frowned, drawing their weapons.

"…The Spine." Malachite trembled a bit as he said it.

"But… why now?", Turquoise asked him, visibly shaken.

Steven got up. "What's the Spine?"

"It's a red tower swarming with Corrupted Gems. There are many rooms protruding from the side, making it look like a bloody tower." Malachite answered, gritting his teeth.

Steven's eyes lit up for some reason. "Let's go, then!"

So off they went in the beam of light.

To the Spine.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One: Fusions Clash!

The Gems stepped off the Warp Pad and looked up at the Spine. It was crumbling, chunks of blood-stained stone missing.

At the top, a large brain-like structure loomed, casting a shadow on the floor, which consisted of skeletons and gem shards.

Steven asked a rather morbid question. "Did humans fight with Gems here? Only to be killed?"

Pearl looked at him. "…Yes."

"Wow… so they helped each other?"

"Just for a bit."

They walked in and noticed a swarm of Crystal Shrimp. Pearl started to freak out.

Malachite motioned for Tourmaline to step forward. He snapped his fingers, raising pillars under them.

Tourmaline started twirling elegantly, moving closer to Malachite while doing so.

Malachite took her hand and dipped her.

When he brought her back up, their gems started to glow.

A tall, four-armed Gem appeared from the light. Her hair was darker than Alexandrite's. Crystalline wings protruded from her back.

Steven gaped at the fusion, his eyes lit up. He had his mouth like that for a while.

"What, never seen a giant woman with wings?"

Steven replied with a "Nope!" and continued watching her.

"Uh… okay." She turned to Tiger's Eye and snarled. "She's still here. That's… great."

Tiger's Eye returned the snarl. "It's great that you have your own personality, Nephrite, but now it's just horrible."

"Whatever." Nephrite summoned the scythe and sword, creating a javelin with a green liquid oozing from the tip.

"Like my poison? Now with ten times more venom." She smiled, revealing long canine teeth.

She suddenly lunged at one of the larger Crystal Shrimp, skewering it. It curled up as defense, but it was no good.

Tiger's Eye nudged Altaite, who watched, bored.

She whispered to him. "You thinking what I'm thinking?" She sat, glaring at them.

"That it'd be a lot more fun if he fused with me?"

"…No. That we could also fuse."

He looked at her and laughed a bit. "Me, fuse with you? Pft. Yeah, you wish. It's too unstable- okay, fine. Let's do this." He sighed.

Altaite removed his black leather hood. He set a cannon down and cracked his knuckles. "I hope you're ready for this."

"You know I am."

Altaite nodded and helped her stand up. He walked into the shadows and suddenly dashed out, cloaked in shadows. He took Tiger's Eye by the hand and they started to spread onto her.

Tiger's Eye started to spin on one foot, next to Altaite.

She stomped the other foot on the ground and glared behind her.

Altaite walked forward, putting one foot in front of the other. He moved towards the wall and onto the ceiling. He started walking on it to where Tiger's Eye was and pushed down to land on top of her.

Their gems glowed.

She extended her arm past the light and walked out, looking at her hands. She hissed and looked up at Nephrite.

Nephrite glared at her. "Oh look, the kitten's back." She laughed.

Onyx got up up, lance in hand.

Turquoise glanced at them. "Oh, great."

The other Gems watched in fear, knowing this would go on for a bit.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two: Brain Food

Nephrite picked out groups of Crystal Shrimp, skewering them to make it more efficient.

The one that Nephrite called "The Kitten" was Bornite, who had claws and a tail. And cat ears.

Bornite brought out Tiger's Eye's claws and Altaite's mini-cannons. She created a crossbow.

She loaded it with some bolts from a little satchel which was hung over her shoulder. She helped Nephrite kill the Shrimp but paid no actual attention to her.

Onyx lowered his spear. "Not as bad as I thought."

Turquoise nodded and smiled at him.

Garnet began to help the other fusions. She then created a hole in the roof.

The Gems jumped to the next floor.

A light shone, and Malachite and Tourmaline were there. Tiger's Eye and Altaite defused too.

There was a particular monster on that floor that Steven liked.

A creature stayed in the corner.

Its right eye was a cracked red gem. It looked like one of those small, chubby creatures that appear on television. It had a patch of pink hair between its ears.

Steven walked over to it. He already knew he could heal its gem.

He licked his hand and walked over to it, hoping it wouldn't turn around and attack him. He quickly grabbed it and put his hand on the gem.

Its body glowed. A skinny Gem appeared in its place.

Her hair was pink and long. She wore a red skirt and coat. She had boots which covered most of her legs.

Steven looked at her, then at Garnet. "Can we keep her?"

Garnet was about to say "We kept Amethyst," but she'd already said that when Steven asked if he could keep Lion.

Instead, she nodded.

The Gem looked at Steven.

"Thank you… Steven, right?"

He nodded.

"I'm Andesine. And I'm guessing this is your crew?"

The Gems kept defeating monsters and advancing to the next floor while talking to Andesine.

At last, they were at the top.

Malachite pointed at a giant… thing. "That's the Cerebral Core! Gems, do your thing!"

Three fusions.

One, Nephrite.

Two, Bornite.

Turquoise jumped into the air, landing on a piece of ice she created. There, she started to create more and jumped onto them, spinning as she did.

Onyx snapped his fingers, stopping gravity's effect on him. He landed on the ceiling and pushed off of it, landing on the platform behind Turquoise.

He started to dance in a style that was similar to both Pearl's and Amethyst's.

Their gems started to glow and a tall, see-through Gem appeared in their place.

Nephrite looked at it and smiled. "Finally one I can live with. Nice to see you again, Hematite."

"Nice to see you too."

Bornite was mad at Nephrite for that.

More specifically, it was Tiger's Eye who was jealous.

Bornite started to shoot at the brain-like object, which was hovering over a cauldron of crimson liquid.

Nephrite summoned her javelin and started to fly using the crystalline wings.

"These are heavier than I remember."

She started jabbing at the Cerebral Core, infecting it with poison, which made it decay it from the inside-out.

Hematite unleashed her halberd upon the giant brain-like structure, frost and shadows making their way to the tip of it, where they'd be used as an attack method.

A laceration appeared in the Core, crimson liquid oozing out and meeting with the liquid below, boiling.

The fusions split up.

Bornite was to its right,

Hematite was to its left,

and Nephrite was still in front of it, infecting the red liquid with poison, slightly changing its color.

The Malachite side of Nephrite yelled out, "Gems! Attack on my three, and don't hold back!"

"One!" The fusions raised their weapons.

"Two!" they aimed at the inside of the Core.

"THREE!"

All of the Gems, fusion or not, unleashed their wrath upon the structure.

A pink, fleshy orb rose from it and exploded.

The Gems celebrated until they heard rumbling outside.

The Spine was collapsing.

Hematite grabbed Steven, Garnet, and Andesine, while Bornite picked up Rose, Amethyst, and Pearl.

Nephrite, who remembered how to fly properly, let Hematite and Bornite hang on to her while she flew them out of the blood-red tower.

And it would not come back for a couple thousand years.

They'd make sure of that.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three: Commander

(AN: Check out my SoundCloud! I have fusion themes there, including the fusion theme for the two Gems fusing this chapter: xXMalachiteXx)

A couple of days after the defeat of the Spine, Malachite received news from Andesine, who served as a spy.

She'd said that the Diamonds already had everything they'd needed to fight the Gems.

Best armor, best weapons, even chambers in which they could take advantage.

So Malachite grabbed some of his swords from his room, a set of armor, and other things he would need, like a vial of water to purify corrupted Gems they may find.

The others got their things as well, sets of colored armor, a fire kit in case they have to burn anything down, and a mini-fridge for Steven.

The Gems then walked toward the Warp Pad.

Malachite asked them if they were ready. After a nod, Steven decided to warp them to the Galaxy Warp.

Andesine was waiting for them there. The giant Warp Pad behind them was repaired.

"Is this really safe?," Pearl asked.

Altaite responded. "It's pretty much certain death. But we'll protect Steven with our lives."

Pearl agreed with him and the group walked over to Andesine.

"Okay, guys, what's the plan?"

Malachite, as always, devised the plan.

"So, we take out the first Diamond of four; White Diamond. Then we move on to Black; Then Blue; Then Pink, who somehow escaped the Temple."

Onyx added on to that. "Of course it won't be easy."

Andesine nodded."Sounds good."

Malachite activated the Warp Pad.

The Gems looked around them.

The Warp Pad was caged.

Greeting them was a Gem about as tall as Malachite. Her voice and body type were similar to Peridot's.

"Nyahahah! You've fallen in my trap!" The fingers from her left hand formed a screen and her other hand, which had a green gem on it, was pulling up a new window.

Another Gem with glaring yellow eyes stared back at her.

The original Crystal Gems recognized her quickly.

It was Yellow Diamond.

The green Gem talked to her as if they were related.

"I've successfully captured the Crystal Clods."

Yellow Diamond's voice could be heard from the cage, but the Gems could only make out a couple of words.

"Hold... until Blue... arrives... destroys...!"

The Gem nodded.

"Right. What shall I do while he arrives?"

Yellow Diamond simply stared at her.

"...Okay. Aventurine, signing off."

Aventurine.

So that was her name.

Onyx, obviously the observant one, could easily find that this Aventurine was important to Yellow Diamond.

More than that.

She was the leader of her armies.

He looked at Tourmaline, who had the same idea.

"There's a way out of this, and there's the chance we'll get destroyed by Blue Diamond. Which do you prefer?"

Tourmaline nodded. "Only if you're okay with it."

Onyx nodded, his body and most of his face covered in a black material.

Tourmaline walked in his direction, twirling the hem of her dress. She extended her arm.

Onyx took it and they both spun before separating.

Tourmaline met Onyx in the middle, their bodies glowing light blue.

In Onyx's place was a Gem with four arms and four eyes.

Steven's eyes lit up. "ANOTHER GIANT WOMAN!"

The fusion glanced at him, giggling as she picked him up.

"Hi! I take it your name is Steven?"

He nodded and the Gem shook his tiny hand.

"I'm Apatite. Wanna see something cool?"

Apatite summoned Tourmaline's scythe and Onyx's lance.

After the lance phased into the scythe, a war axe landed into Apatite's right arms, cutting down the metal cage.

Aventurine was completely oblivious to Apatite's actions.

Apatite tapped Aventurine's shoulder and, after turning around, she fainted from the shock.

"Let's move!"


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four: Ivory Chamber

After a couple of twists and turns, the crew ran into a large, cylinder-shaped room.

The walls were polished so the light shining from above would blind the Gems.

Floating in the middle of the room was White Diamond, who had recovered from past fights.

Malachite told the Gems to hold back with fusion.

After all, just one fusion could make the Gems seem desperate.

"Not even one?"

"No."

"One dance?"

"No."

"One movement?"

"NO."

White Diamond laughed at them, summoning the bludgeon from her gem on the left shoulder.

Apatite immediately unfused, Onyx summoning his lance.

He attempted to slash through her but she was more agile.

She'd hit Onyx on his arm, where his gem was.

And it happened.

It happened fast.

Onyx retreated into his gem, clinking against the floor.

Tiger's Eye went into rage mode.

Her claws extended and practically set on fire.

She started cutting at White Diamond, who was jumping up some ledges that protruded from the side of the room.

Tiger's Eye was just as fast, finally catching up and scratching her on the back.

White Diamond yelped but kept going. She used her bludgeon to destroy ledges before Tiger's Eye could get to them, but she could also jump high.

Tiger's Eye yelled in anger before snatching White Diamond, sinking her claws into her flesh, specifically near the gem.

White Diamond screamed, retreating.

Malachite cleared the jump in one bound, bubbling the gem in a black-banded bubble.

One down.

Three to go.

…This is gonna take a while.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five: Ebony Chamber

After running through a maze, some fire traps, and a room full of water, Onyx was ready to regenerate.

His gem started glowing, shifting through his many changes.

This time, Onyx had a dark gray cloak and black boots.

His hair was silver instead of black, and his eyes were blue.

He looked at the others, who were astonished with his changes.

Malachite was definitely impressed.

"Wow. You look… amazing. I wish I had a cloak."

He muttered something under his breath.

"You look like someone I used to know…"

Andesine reported monsters across the hall.

Shadowlings?

Nope.

These creatures looked like actual Gems.

They were Morph Slimes.

Usually, they were these blobs with gems visible in their see-through bodies. These creatures were special, though.

They could take the form of any Gem whose remains they absorbed.

One was an Emerald, one was a Morganite, and another was a Zoisite, while the rest were…

Pearls.

They were Pearls.

But behind them was a larger one.

And Malachite recognized it.

The Gem he thought about earlier…

A red gem floated inside it, and that was how he knew.

Orthoclase.

Pearl started slashing at her own kind while Garnet and the others took the Morganite, who was the strongest of the three.

Malachite stayed back with Steven, shocked.

"So she… she did explore the Spire… I never should have left her come here alone… All of us should have helped her… But I doubted her, and now she's… dead."

After the Gems took care of the Pearls and the other three, Malachite told them to stop.

"Don't hurt her!"

The Gems looked at him, confused.

"Turquoise, look at its Gem. It's Orthoclase."  
Her jaw dropped upon hearing her name.

"N-no! It… it can't be… Orthoclase, she's… gone?"

"…Yes…"

Onyx and the others started sobbing.

"Why… what did she do… she never deserved this."

Malachite and Turquoise fused to take care of this grim situation.

Coesite hugged the creature before poofing it.

They bubbled it before unfusing, tears streaming down their cheeks.

Turquoise hugged Malachite.

They both said their goodbyes to the gem, sending it away.

The two stopped crying and focused on the task at hand.

Andesine gave them the report.

"Black Diamond's up ahead. Let's get this over with so we can hurry back to the Temple and rest."

The Gems nodded.

After yet another maze, they ran into a pitch-black room.

The only light in the room was coming from Black Diamond's gem, who was sitting in the corner.

It seemed he was pinning daggers into some rag doll.

He'd sensed them.

"Welcome to your fate, Clods."

He laughed, floating.

"I am honored to serve as your gateway to your doom!"

Black Diamond tapped his gem, making a light in the room flicker.

"Prepare yourselves, for I will annihilate you!"

Suddenly, a myriad of daggers appeared, floating beside him.

Malachite decided.

"I'll do this for Orthoclase. WE WILL AVENGE HER!"

He aimed his sword at Black Diamond, throwing it at him.

"Missed."

Malachite smiled at Black Diamond's stupidity as the sword came falling down onto him.

Black Diamond screeched.

Onyx told the Gems to stay back.

"I'll handle this!"

He summoned his lance, which now had not one, not two, but three tips, crowned with black spikes.

He ran onto the wall, following Black Diamond.

Onyx look at Malachite while doing so, asking for permission.

After seeing him nod, Tiger's Eye ran on the wall as well, meeting Onyx behind Black Diamond, who was petrified.

Upon impact, the two fused into Rose Zircon.

After summoning the glove, she shot the harpoon into Black Diamond's back.

When he was down, she clawed at him.

Malachite took this to his advantage, putting his sword to Black Diamond's shoulder.

"Who's annihilated now?"

Before a sound could come from his mouth, Malachite poofed him.

He bubbled the gem, dissipating his sword into green dust.

"So I guess we have to fight the fusion now."

He sighed.

Two more, and they aren't looking forward to this.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six: Trapped

After running through yet another maze, it seems someone has regained consciousness.

"Stupid Gems… breaking my things, making me faint… I'll show them…"

Aventurine was concealed in the same cage she trapped the Gems in. She formed a screen and tapped something, laughing.

"Let's see how YOU like it when something backfires…"

When the Gems ran into a clearing in the maze, all of the exits closed shut.

Some holes in the ground elevated some Shadowlings, three Morph Slimes, and THE Chameleotyle Mother.

The Morph Slimes were Kunzite, Rubellite and Spinel, all of which fought against the rebellion.

The Shadowlings' tails were pink, some were blue.

Onyx took the Shadowlings, Altaite took the Rubellite Morph Slime, and Tourmaline took on the Kunzite one.

Tiger's Eye targeted the Spinel and Malachite worked on taking down the Chameleotyle Mother.

"Aventurine did this, didn't she? When we're done here, we have to take her out."

After bubbling the Morph Slimes, the others went over to help Malachite.

Turquoise, who was sitting out with Steven, told them where to attack.

When they finally defeated the Mother, Steven bubbled it.

They were still trapped, though.

Tiger's Eye looked at Malachite, who was looking at Altaite.

"You know how we can make it out of this?"

Altaite started to freak out.

Tiger's Eye interrupted.

"WAIT!"

Malachite turned to face her.

"You and Altaite are kind of… destructive when you fuse. Fuse with me instead."

Malachite looked at the two.

"We don't have to be vigilant."

"But we need to make sure they don't know where we are!"

Malachite glared at her.

"No, what we _need _is Diopside."

Tiger's Eye seemed hurt.

Now that she thought about it…

They've never fused.

Malachite looked back at Altaite, who was still freaking out.

Steven's seen this situation before.

Diopside must be the fusion of Malachite and Altaite.

Two new fusions in one day, and the return of Rose Zircon.

Malachite bowed, spinning on one foot at the same time.

Altaite removed his hood as he walked onto the roof above Malachite, copying his movements.

Malachite jumped, meeting Altaite, and their bodies glowed green.

Diopside emerged from the light, summoning a harpoon gun.

He managed to blast through the walls.

Tiger's Eye, however, seemed pretty upset.

Even after Diopside unfused, she was still somewhat sad.

However, Malachite promised her that the next fusion she'd ever see was one involving her.

Guaranteed.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven: Void Chamber

Oh, how great it felt to set foot in the Void Chamber once more.

Yep, they were there.

Sitting on their thrones were the two Diamonds, fully decked out in pink and blue armor, respectively.

Blue Diamond had his flamethrower and Pink Diamond had her trident.

Pink Diamond hissed, trident next to her.

"You might have defeated me before Black Diamond raised the Spine… but now it won't be that easy!"

Blue Diamond nodded.

Pink Diamond let Blue Diamond take her hand.

He dipped her, then picked her back up, kissing her.

Their bodies glowed yellow before they slightly warped.

Orichalcum had armor covering their entire body, especially near their gems.

They summoned their weapons.

Malachite gave the Gems the sign.

"Gems! Now!"

He gave them each their own clouds to dance on.

Tourmaline twirled the hem of her dress;

Onyx spun, the cloak whirling around him;

Tiger's Eye twirled on one foot before setting both down, glaring behind her;

Turquoise jumped, freezing the soild cloud;

Altaite walked forward, one foot in front of the other, his body cloaked in shadows;

and finally, Malachite, who was in the middle, jumped, onto the roof, pushing off and landing on the cloud.

Their outlines started to glow, while their actual bodies were now transparent.

They floated to where Malachite was, fusing into the perfect fusion;

Two eyes;

Two arms;

Perfect.

This was Stishovite.

And this is the battle for the planet Earth.

Stishovite summoned all the weapons, forming them into a staff which was charged with electricity.

He also had a bladed glove which also protected him from the charge.

Orichalcum snarled.

"Oh, great, you're back. And you're fused again? Why? Fusion is a pathetic method to make weak Gems stronger! Quit humiliating yourselves! We've all seen what you really are!"

"Yes, you think you have. But you've been lied to."

Orichalcum striked with their trident out of pure anger.

Stishovite skillfully dodged it.

"You should just stop now..."

He grabbed Orichalcum's arm, twisting it with all his might.

"…Before I make you regret it."

Orichalcum shot a chunk of carbon at him.

He easily broke it in half with his staff.

"That all you've got?"

"No, try this!"

Orichalcum combined their weapons, forming a morning star. They slammed it into Stishovite, who seemed unscathed.

"Hmph, so be it."

He whacked Orichalcum over the head.

"I won't let you throw me around like a doll anymore! Not after you took our Orthoclase!"

Orichalcum retorted. "She was weak, pathetic! She was a waste of time!"

"No! YOU'RE a waste of time!"

Stishovite slammed the staff into Orichalcum, paralyzing them.

After the paralysis, he broke the back of Orichalcum's armor.

"Agh!"

The giant, unstable Gem fell back.

Stishovite used this to his advantage, breaking the shoulder armor.

Orichalcum yelled.

"NO!"

They made the floor disappear, revealing an abyss.

Stishovite had Nephrite's wings, though, and the only thing the uncovering of the void affected him was the pull.

_The pull._

That was it!

If he could manage to knock Orichalcum into the abyss, the two would retreat into their gems and pop out!

Stishovite hit Blue Diamond's gem with his staff, making Orichalcum lose balance for a bit.

He hit the gem again, this time hitting Pink Diamond's as well.

Orichalcum staggered before falling into the abyss.

A few minutes afterwards, the two gems didn't pop up.

Instead, the walls rumbled and the roof collapsed into the void below.

Orichalcum rose again, this time seething with anger.

"YOU THOUGHT YOU'VE SEEN THE LAST OF US?! YOU HAVEN'T!"

They knocked Stishovite into the void, where his wings could barely hold him.

Orichalcum slammed the morning star into Stishovite, slightly cracking Tiger's Eye's and Altaite's gems.

Stishovite smashed the staff into Blue Diamond's gem, which was now nothing more than a cluster of shards.

Orichalcum screeched, attempting to slam Stishovite with one of their four arms.

Stishovite avoided the attack, aiming the staff for Pink Diamond's gem.

He noticed something.

Parts of Orichalcum's armor was falling off.

He'd just have to stall until all of it was off so that he could strike.

Orichalcum kept trying to slam their arms into him but to no avail.

Stishovite smashed into the breastplate, cracking it before it fell into nothing.

Suddenly, the shoulder part came off.

Stishovite dealt the final blow, destroying Pink Diamond's gem.

The two unfused immediately, but Stishovite caught it in a clear bubble.

The fight was over.

And now they can finally return home.


	28. Chapter 28

Final Chapter: Home

When the Gems got home, Lapis, who had stayed behind to make sure nothing went wrong, greeted them with a big smile on her face.

"So… that's it?"

Malachite stepped forward from the crowd.

"No. We still have to take out Yellow Diamond."

Andesine added on to that.

"But now, we should get some rest."

Steven got on a table.

"No, now we party!"

The Gems decided to head to the beach.

Greg was there.

He hadn't seen Rose during all the time she was alive again, so imagine his shock when he saw her walking towards him with a big smile on her face.

Before the sun set, they had a bonfire set up.

The people of Beach City had blankets set on the sand, chatting and partying.

At least now they knew they were safe from invading giant hands.

_Wait…_

They forgot about someone…

But now wasn't the time.

Now it was time to celebrate.

**AN: Thank you guys **_**so much**_** for coming on this journey with me!**

**But, did you think that was it?**

**There are still more adventures for the Gems, and believe me…**

_**Our story is **_**far**_** from over!**_


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